Often a deeply layered, multi-themed film can nourish the soul and engage the mind. One would think a movie like “Suburbicon,” featuring the established talents of the Coen brothers coupled with the frequently successful writing of George Clooney and Grant Heslov, plus performances from Oscar winners Julianne Moore and Matt Damon, all wrapped up in a cinematic package helmed by Clooney himself, would make for an intriguing couple of hours in a darkened theater.
Well, not this time.
The idea of taking a mid-1980s screenplay by the Coens’ and marrying it to a very different story, penned by Clooney and Heslov, does not work. We might have had two quite good, independent features, if those scripts had been produced into two different movies. Instead, we are presented with quite the sad mishmash of ideas here.
What starts as a dark comedy — inspired by the true story of the first black family moving into the all-white planned community of Levittown, Pennsylvania in 1957 — soon goes off the rails as we become enmeshed in the main storyline involving Moore’s twin sister characters, Damon and very promising young actor Noah Jupe, who plays Damon’s son.
Clooney showcases the racism theme in an intelligently paced if very predictable course of events. In relatively short order, the denizens of Suburbicon move from initial surprise (when a black family moves in), to shock, to horror, to very vocal protests, to harassment and finally to overt violence. It should be noted that Karimah Westbrook exhibits a lovely, quiet strength as Mrs. Meyers, the African-American mother whose admirable fortitude is reminiscent of such civil rights icons as Rosa Parks.
Discussing the parallel storyline in a review is a bit tricky. Suffice it to say, a home invasion is a key plot element, and Damon’s Gardner Lodge is intriguing, mainly due the actor’s mostly understated performance — playing a successful financial executive who is a pillar of the Suburbicon community. Lodge initially hides a secret agenda involving the dual personalities that are played by Moore. As the film unfolds, things increasingly become further and further unbelievable, and lead to moments of would-be horror that instead made me laugh out loud, thanks to the incredulity of the situation at hand.
It does need to be pointed out, though, that Oscar Isaac, in a relatively small but pivotal role as an insurance investigator, is one of the film’s highlights. We are presented with another sterling example of this extremely talented actor’s ability to give us a character we will long remember — far longer than this unfortunate misstep by Clooney, the Coens, et al.
‘Suburbicon’ 2 Stars
Paramount Pictures presents a film directed by George Clooney and written by Clooney, Grant Heslov, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Rated R (for violence, language and some sexuality). Running time: 105 minutes. Opens Friday at local theaters.
